How Bankruptcy Led Cody to Become a Financial Coach

5 Minute Read

Cody Van Pelt of Windsor, Colorado, lost everything in bankruptcy. Just like Dave’s own personal story, Cody will be the first to admit he made every dumb money decision possible. Cody used credit cards, financed a car, bought a home with an adjustable-rate mortgage, and borrowed from Peter to pay Paul.

Finally, he came to his senses and began turning things around. Now, Cody and his wife own their own photography business, are debt-free with a fully funded emergency fund, and are working on saving for retirement.

The most exciting part? Cody’s getting ready to help others who are stuck where he once was. He graduated from Financial Peace University and recently joined the team of FPU coordinators at Timberline Church in Fort Collins, Colorado. But Cody wanted to do more.

Becoming a Ramsey Solutions Master Financial Coach

Cody was so excited about his own life-change and eager to help others experience it too. He began thinking about becoming a Ramsey Solutions Master Financial Coach. He wanted to help other people with money the same way Dave Ramsey and his team have by coaching thousands of people for more than 20 years.

Cody prayed about it for months, unsure whether he should commit to the training. Though he had the money to pay for it, it was definitely an investment. And he wanted to make sure God was on board.

"This was definitely something I felt like God was calling me to," he said. So Cody took of leap of faith, registered for the training, and booked his flight to Nashville. "And it’s been worth every penny, and then some," he said.

"I just felt that if I could help people get out of debt, I would love to do that," Cody explained. "That excited me because I had been in such a bad situation." Just like Dave, Cody wanted to take his bad experience and use it for good to help and inspire others.

Before coming to Nashville, Cody completed the online portion of the training, called Fundamentals of Coaching (FOC). FOC takes participants through a series of five video teachings by Dave and his team. They cover the skills a coach needs to be able to confidently and competently talk to someone about budgeting.

Once in Nashville, Cody spent two and a half days in live training with Dave’s team.

"The coaching that I got from Chris Hogan was inspirational. He’s an amazing speaker and motivator. I was worried that there might not be enough information when I left or that there’d be so much information that I’d leave overwhelmed, but everything is just phenomenal."

After leaving Nashville, Cody began his mentorship with Dave’s team and is continuing to build on what he’s learned.

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Coaching in Action

With the skills he’s honed, Cody is confident he’ll be able to help people inside and outside of his church, as a ministry and as a business.

"That’s what I’m most excited about—when they’re in those moments where they can be led to God. For me, that’s the most important part."

Don’t Let Fear Stop You!

Are you interested in becoming a financial coach but worry that you might not have what it takes? Nonsense! We’re about to bust some myths that might be holding you back:

Myth: Financial coaches have to be detail-oriented.Truth: All personality types make great financial coaches!

Lots of financial coaches are detail-oriented and cautious, but they can also be decisive hard-drivers, interactive social butterflies or stabilizing peacekeepers. The important thing is that financial coaches, whatever their personality, have the heart of a teacher and truly care about the people they’re helping.

Myth: Financial coaches are all CPAs, finance majors or people who love numbers.Truth: Financial coaches come from all backgrounds, many having nothing to do with money!

Although some of the people who’ve gone through our financial coach training do have finance credentials, a lot do not! Some are college students, stay-at-home moms, teachers, real estate agents and retirees. So you don’t need a bunch of fancy letters after your name. Nobody cares what you know. They just want to know that you care.

Lots of people seeking a coach arrive financially bruised. They’re tired and beat up, and the last thing they need is someone telling them what they’re doing wrong. Instead, they need someone who encourages them, doesn’t judge them, and meets them where they are.

You can do this! Just like Cody, you have the power to change your life and help others create a legacy and a future they can be proud of. You just need the right tools and the confidence to get started. That’s where we come in.